My dad has had many guns over the years. The first was an old hammer double 12 ga. that quit fireing on both bbls and my grandfather gave up on it. My dad at about age 9, tore it apart, made the missing parts and got one bbl to fire, and used it for many years that way. My brother still has it today.
In modern days, he used an old Remington double bbl 12 guage that he got durning WWII. All of us kids grew up useing it as we got old enough, and i still have it today. I restocked it in some very nice Claro Walnut, and reblued it too, as it was beat up with the stock broken. The last (4) phesants i shot with it was back to back doubles about 15 minutes apart. Dad shot several deer with it long ago too, as did us kids.
Around that same time, he had a single bbl 12 ga, with interchangable 30-30 bbl.. (Savage??) That 30-30 was super accurate, and dad won a fair bit of money betting on his shooting abilities with it! One of my brothers ended up with it, and sold it!!!!!!!!!
He also bought a Savage 12 ga. semi auto, copy of the Browing auto 5, and shot that a lot. My brother with the hammer double still has that shotgun too.
Dad bought a Remington semi auto 16 ga. when i was a small kid, and man he sure shot a lot of ducks and phesants with it!!! I've seen him make many doubles and some tripples with it on phesants. I still have it, and dad and i both shoot it yet today.
One rifle he shot a "truck load" of deer with (i'm NOT exaggerating) was an old Remington semi auto in 35 Rem. cal.. Man he sure shot a LOT of deer with that gun!! My oldest brother ended up with it, and one day traded if off! :>(
Dad moved from the 35 Rem. to a Remington 742 in 30-06, and he never looked back!!! He shot even more deer with this rifle than he did with the 35!!! He also shot moose and blk. bear with his old 06.. My same brother that ended up with the 35, also ended up with the 742, and he also traded that one off!!!!!!
One last gun that sticks out in my mind is, a Remington 788 in .243 my mom and i bought for dad one year for Christmas. Dad shot a LOT of deer with it here on the farm. I have it now, and we both still shoot it.
Honorable mentions, would be a JC Higgins semi auto 22 rimfire, an Anschultz bolt action in 22 WRM, and a Ruger 10-22 rimfire.
He has had a LOT of other guns over the years too, but these are the ones that stand out in my mind.
Dad turned 91 in Feb., and he went down to get a doe tag a few days ago. He plans to be out deer hunting again this fall! :>
BTW, of all the cals. my dad has owned and used over the years includeing many magnums, he proclaims the 30-06 to be the "best all around cal. even made, and to have all the "power" anyone would ever need for any animials the size of a moose on down, and he has shot many a game animial in his more than 80 years of hunting to come to this conclusion!!!!
Drilling Man
